Waking Up from the American Dream There has been much talk recently about the phenomenon of "Wal-Martization" of America, wh

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问题                 Waking Up from the American Dream
    There has been much talk recently about the phenomenon of "Wal-Martization" of America, which refers to the attempt of America’s giant Wal-Mart chain store company to keep its cost at rock-bottom levels. For years, many American companies have embraced Wal-Mart-like strategies to control labor costs, such as hiring temps (temporary workers) and part-timers, fighting unions, dismantling internal career ladders and outsourcing to lower paying contractors at home and abroad.
    While these tactics have the admirable outcome of holding down consumer prices, they’re costly in other ways. More than a quarter of the labor force, about 34 million workers, is trapped in low-wage, of-ten dead-end jobs. Many middle-income and high-skilled employees face fewer opportunities, too, as companies shift word to subcontractors and temps agencies and move white-collar jobs to China and India.
    The result has been an erosion of one of America’s most cherished value: giving its people the ability to move up the economic ladder over their lifetimes. Historically, most Americans, even low-skilled ones, were able to find poorly paid janitorial or factory jobs, then gradually climbed into the middle class as they gained experience and moved up the wage curve. But the number of workers progressing upward began to slip in 1970s. Upward mobility diminished even more in the 1980s as globalization and technology slammed blue-collar wages.
    Restoring American mobility is less a question of knowing what to do than of making it happen. Experts have decried schools’ inadequacy for years, but fixing them is a long, arduous struggle. Similarly, there have been plenty of warnings about declining college access, but finding funds was difficult even in eras of large surpluses.
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

选项 A、Wal-Martization has been successful in keeping costs at rock-bottom levels.
B、Upward mobility for low-skilled workers has become impossible in the U.S. .
C、More business opportunities are given to low-cost agencies in China and India.
D、Although people know how to restore American mobility, it’s difficult to change the present situation.

答案B

解析 题目要求选择不符合文意的选项。通过阅读文章可知,连锁巨头沃尔玛通过各种方式降低劳动成本,以实现商品价格的最低水平。A项内容符合文意,可以排除。为了降低劳动成本,公司通过雇佣劳动力价值低的人员代替高价值员工。C项内容符合文意,可以排除。“Restoring American mobility is less a question of knowing what to do than of making it happen.”此句话内容与D项符合,可以排除D。通过排除,答案是B。
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